This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Yogurt and Taylor Farms as part of the Stonyfield Yogetters Bloggers Network. Summer is in full swing in our house and I'm TRYING to eat more healthy. At the end of May I started a 21 Day Fix "diet" through a friend of mine to help me kickstart some weight loss. I hate the word "diet" because that makes you feel "fat" and I still don't feel fat even though I'm not my ideal weight. I've gotten into some bad eating habits and I really just needed to refocus my priorities and start making better choices. Our family is plagued with heart disease and I am not getting any younger. Plus my kids need to start seeing me make better choices so that they won't have to struggle so much as they get older. ....anyways.... For almost an entire month I've given up dairy, coffee (WOW), breads, pastas, rice, and processed foods. I've been focusing on whole fresh foods; which means a lot of salads. I've slowly started to add back some dairy in the form ... [ Read More ]
Painted Rock Challenge – July 2017
It's time for a new Painted Rock Challenge and I'm even more excited to start this one! In anticipation for July's arrival I already began painting a few of these. That sloth is such a fun animal to paint and the mermaid looks like my daughter! I fell a little behind during June; but my goal is to complete all 31 days for July! Lamb Scarecrow Origami Fireworks Lantern Chicken (For Fried Chicken Day - thanks for the recommendation Angela B!) Otter Blueberry Bird Teddy Bear Snail Eyes Anchor Octopus Music Ice Cream Chameleon Dandelion Watermelon Lollipop Whale Hammock Hot Dog Pineapple Sloth Mermaid Computer (for my daughter, she submitted this one) Door Tiger Friends Rain Many of you have already joined the Painted Rock Challenge Group on Facebook and I'm loving your creations. Thank you to everyone who has shared their rocks with us. To join: Facebook Painted Rock Challenge Group What ... [ Read More ]
Painted Rock Challenge – June 2017
Thank you! I am blown away by all the sweet comments and requests for me to keep posting new painted rock challenges each month. Your emails and comments are super sweet. I'd love to see how far this challenge is spreading so please feel free to comment on this post and let me know. If you don't have a group near you and want to join our painted rock challenge group we'd love to have you! Painted Rock Challenge Group on Facebook. You may have seen very little updates from me in May because we were having our kitchen renovated and I had to pack all my paints away. Now that my kitchen is finally finished I can take part of the June challenge along with all of you. ...because it's too beautiful not to share, here is our new kitchen. If you want to see what it looked like the night before demo began or see the behind the scenes pictures during the renovation be sure to follow me on Instagram @BackToCalley. ...but back to rocks! See those cabinets on the back side of the ... [ Read More ]
Celebrate the Whole You with Stonyfield & prAna
This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Yogurt and prAna as part of the Stonyfield Yogetters Bloggers Network. Mother's Day is tomorrow and our house is in chaos; but what's new! We just started demolition on our kitchen for a very overdue remodel. Our kitchen is the original kitchen from 1985 and the cheap laminate cabinets have been painted over (poorly) several times. As of Friday afternoon the remnants of our old kitchen are now gone and we're left with dust and dreams. Day 2 demo progress! Now we break for the weekend. Cabinets installed on Monday! #kitchenrenovation A post shared by Calley Pate (@backtocalley) on May 12, 2017 at 3:14pm PDT Needless to say I'm learning to live in chaos. We saved out the essential items needed to live day to day and packed up our plates, glasses, and pantry. Most of our kitchen is now packed in boxes and bags in our garage; while the essentials are sitting on our dining room table in the living room. Even the refrigerator and ... [ Read More ]
Pear Frozen Yogurt Recipe
Pear Frozen Yogurt is a great summer treat and is super easy to make! This post is sponsored by R.W. Knudsen as part of their blog ambassador program. It's been in the 90's all week in Florida and we've been breaking all sorts of record highs for April and it doesn't look like May is going to be any cooler. Summer is here and I'm filling my freezer with some treats for my family to chill out with. I received a few bottles of RW Knudsen's Organic Pear juice in my quarterly box of goodies as part of their ambassador program and I knew I wanted to make a frozen treat. The recipe was pretty simple but I'm sure you could tweak it to your desired consistency. I honestly wish it had been a little creamier, but I have no clue what to change to make it creamier. The mixture before it was frozen was actually a really nice consistency that would have made for a nice summer fruit soup, or if it were a little thicker it would have made an amazing smoothie. I'm sure my kids would have ... [ Read More ]
Painted Rocks Challenge – May 2017
It's official, I'm addicted to painting rocks! Just over a month ago I started painting rocks and I haven't stopped! It's been years since I've had my painting supplies out and picked up a paintbrush almost every single day! My kids are even joining in the fun and painting a few with me. For me, painting is my creative outlet.....but even more than that, it's a stress release for me at the end of the day. Why rocks? They are small, inexpensive, and quick. It's also a new fad hitting towns across the US where people will paint rocks and hide them for others to find. It's a great way to spread a little love and brighten someone's day. I will admit that I paint more than I hide, but I am trying to let go of a few more and hide them around town. It's really fun to see who finds them. Many people will join a local painted rock group and post their finds, then some of those people will hide them again to re-share the love! Want to know how to get started and why supplies you'll need? ... [ Read More ]
Painted Rocks – How To Get Started
Have you heard about the newest fad spreading around the US lately? People of all ages are painting rocks and hiding them at parks and other public places around their towns for people to find. I began seeing the fad shortly after Pokemon Go became popular. It was a n0n-electronics version of the game giving kids a chance to get outside and hunt for things. It's also a similar activity as geo-caching but without special coordinates to help you find the hidden treasures. You can find hidden rocks all over your town and you never know when or where the next one will show up. There really aren't many rules, just have fun and be respectful. Here are a few things that will make your rock hunting and finding more enjoyable: Find a rock, hide a rock! Keep the movement going, try not to be "that person" who only collects without giving back. If you find a rock you don't want to keep, rehide it! Even if you didn't bring your own rocks with you, try not to take them all. Keep a few ... [ Read More ]
Freshen Up Your Yard for Spring
This post is sponsored by Coca-Cola and Walmart Garden Center. #CokeFlorida #SpringFlowers #CokeAmbassador Now that we're home from Spring Break, it's a great time to get started freshening up the front yard for spring. The flowers are starting to poke their heads out from between the weeds. I'd love to say that I was the one outside getting my hands dirty, but I left most of the work to the boys this year. It's not that I don't enjoy gardening, but the girls were busy selling Girl Scout cookies when they started the front yard. They started by clearing out the weeds and trimming the overgrown plants and shrubs. In Florida we don't have much of a winter season and our greenery is pretty green year-round. If we don't trim things back they will overtake the house! After everything was cut back and weeded it was time to freshen up the mulch. It's amazing how much a fresh bag of mulch can brighten up a front yard and make it look perfectly landscaped. Coca-Cola is currently ... [ Read More ]
Visitors Guide to the Valspar Championship 2017
It's March in Palm Harbor which means it's time for golf! If you've followed my blog for a while you'll know that March is my favorite month of the year. It's filled with birthday's and anniversaries and Spring Break and vacations and GOLF! Each year the PGA Tournament comes to our backyard with the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort. Golf? Yes, golf. I promise it's a fun spectator sport, or at least Valspar and Innisbrook make it fun! The Valspar Championship is known as the most colorful PGA tournament in the world. Spring is in full bloom in Florida and the courses are blooming with colorful flowers. I have a good friend who is in the landscape business and he's always in awe of how manicured the grounds are. The grounds are so colorful and it's always so joyful to walk around the tournament. You feel like you've escaped the busy life around you when you drive into Innisbrook and walk around the course. There are events happening all week long at Innisbrook surrounding ... [ Read More ]
Florida Prepaid – What Happens if My Kids Don’t Go to College in Florida?
This post is series in a partnership with Florida Prepaid College Plans. If you want to enroll this year you only have a few days left! Enrollment ends at the end of February. We started saving for our kids college funds several years back when they were much younger. Over the past few weeks we've started to have serious conversations with our oldest about high school and college. In January he applied for his high school of choice (he applied for 5 different programs actually). In February he was accepted to the local high school's Academy of Engineering. Last week at school they started talking about the Florida Bright Futures Scholarships and how their high school grades can earn them money towards college. A few days ago my son started talking to me about the military and how they offer scholarship money also. ....I am not ready for all of this!!! I am not ready for my baby to be talking about college! He's not even out of middle school yet and the decisions he makes ... [ Read More ]
